Kelowna Parks Challenge – Trip #25
This week, as part of my Kelowna Parks Challenge, my wife, Jen, and I went on an adventure in the Ellison Valley, north of Rutland. We saw two city parks and one regional park, all three of which turned out to be remarkable and special.
Read on for my impressions and reflections!
The Trip
This adventure took us north of Rutland, into the valley of Ellison, which is separated from Okanagan Lake by Glenmore and the Glenmore Highlands. Named after Price Ellison (1852-1932), who formerly owned much of it, it is a rural area, still home to rare grasslands and horse husbands. The valley’s western half is part of the City of Kelowna and is taken up by the Kelowna International Airport and the route of Highway 97, heading north to Vernon. The eastern half of the valley lies outside the city limits and is governed by the Regional District of the Central Okanagan.
The parks we visited on this week’s adventure are all in the City of Kelowna, if only partially. The first two are side-by-side, in the middle of the valley, while the third is up along the east side of the valley. Together, they represent the most northeasterly parks on my official Kelowna Parks Challenge Map.
Ellison Dog Park
Another of the city’s series of enclosed parks for off-leash dogs, this park appears to be an excellent canine adventure playground. Not only does it appear larger than many other dog parks I have visited, it has much more varied terrain than the others. As you might be able to tell from the picture, it is located on gently rolling hills and is dotted with clumps of shrubs, while still having enough open space for dogs to run fast and far.
Located along Old Vernon Road, this park has a good parking lot and is equipped with a portable bathroom. Like all dog parks, it has a separate, smaller section for small dogs only.
Washrooms and Drinking Fountains: There is no drinking fountain in this park. There is a portable washroom in this park, at the entrance to the parking lot.
Dog Rules: Because it is a designated dog park, dogs are allowed off-leash in this park, but only inside the fencing.
High Noon Park
Similar to Edith Gay Park, which I visited last week, this is another park dedicated to baseball. Originally built by the Kelowna Minor Fastball Association, this is a beautiful facility. It features four large diamonds with a central concession building. The adjacent parking lot is also quite large.
As you can see from the control tower at the rear left in the above photo, this park is very close to the airport. We heard many planes and helicopters while we were there. All in all, however, this looks like an excellent place to play ball.
Washrooms and Drinking Fountains: There is no drinking fountain in this park, but there is a concession, open during games. There are likely washrooms in this park, in the concession building, but they are only open for games.
Dog Rules: Dogs are allowed in this park, but only on-leash. Dogs are not allowed on the playing fields.
Mill Creek Regional Park
What a treat it was to visit this, another excellent Regional Park! Located in the northeast corner of Ellison, where Mill Creek finishes its descent from Postill Lake and heads out across the plain towards Okanagan Lake, this park features a lovely ravine walk through a forest of predominantly western redcedar trees.
Relatively smooth and designed to be wheelchair accessible, the path along the creek is not too long, and adventurers are well-rewarded at the end with a beautiful waterfall. All in all, we had an excellent nature bath here, and I’m sure we would at any time of the year.
Washrooms and Drinking Fountains: There is no drinking fountain in this park. There is a portable washroom in this park, at the east end of the initial trail section, not far into the park.
Dog Rules: Because there is a trail, dogs are allowed in this park, but only on-leash.
Reflections
Winter ice shapes
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I will say that we were once again rewarded by our choice to head out no matter the season. On this walk, we were particularly delighted to find a variety of interesting designs and textures on the ground and near the creek, created by ice and patterns of melting. Obviously, such natural sculptures are extremely ephemeral and you can only see them if you get out on the right day.
Dog Parks
I have now explored enough of Kelowna’s dog parks to see that every major region of the city has one available to its residents. Though I have seen ample evidence to show that many people take their dogs to any nearby park, irrespective of the rules, it is equally clear that the city’s dog parks are well-loved and well-used. Comparing it with the Rutland Dog Park, the Mission Dog Park and the dog parks in Rowcliffe and Duggan parks, I think the Ellison Dog Park might be the best. It is hard to complete, however, with the dog beach on Poplar Point Drive near Sutherland Bay Park.
Conclusions
Including this week’s parks, I have now seen one hundred and six parks in one hundred and ninety-seven days or 52% of the parks in 54% of the year. Even though I have fallen further behind, I am still not worried. First of all, I am not VERY far behind, and secondly, I have left some low-hanging fruit for the springtime.
We are expecting more snow here, which makes me wonder how many more parks I will end up seeing in the winter. It is inevitable with a project like this, but it does make me wonder what these parks look like at other times of the year. I look forward to finding that out in future years.
